Juengel has brought passion, integrity, class to hall-of-fame coaching career

Fred Kelly, fred.kelly@mdn.net

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10:48 pm EDT, Wednesday, April 24, 2019

Mark Juengel

Mark Juengel

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Mark Juengel

Mark Juengel

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Juengel has brought passion, integrity, class to hall-of-fame coaching career

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Note: Following is part of a series on this year's induction class of the Midland County Sports Hall of Fame. The induction ceremony will be Saturday, May 11 at Dow Diamond. Tickets are $35 apiece ($15 for ages 12 and under) and can be purchased from the City of Midland Parks and Recreation office on North Saginaw Road by May 3.

To say that Mark Juengel has spent his entire adult life coaching, developing, teaching, and encouraging young people is no exaggeration. In fact, it’s the truth.

Juengel, a 1982 graduate of Bullock Creek High School, is in his fourth decade of doing what he loves most — helping kids succeed on the field of play.

“I coached a Little League team when I was a senior in high school, and I was hooked,” he said. “I’m really competitive myself, and I just love the opportunity to teach the game and the strategy involved. I’ve coached softball, baseball, and basketball, and I love them all in their own ways.”

As a 21-year-old, Juengel managed Southtown’s major (11-and-12-year-old) all-star baseball team to its first district championship in 1985, and 17 years later, he managed Southtown’s 2002 state champion major softball team — the first Midland County all-star team in either softball or baseball to win a major state title.

Juengel, who also spent years coaching youth basketball teams in the Bullock Creek area, began teaching math at Jefferson Middle School in 1989 and has coached multiple sports at Jefferson during his tenure there.

“The biggest joy of coaching, for me, is seeing success from a team standpoint more so than from an individual standpoint. But when you see a kid do something successfully for the first time, that’s very enjoyable, also,” said Juengel, who still coaches girls’ basketball at Jefferson.

“I’ve always tried to teach that the game is about ‘we’ and not ‘me,’” he added. “I’ve always tried to teach them that team success comes first. … The most important thing I’ve learned over time is that team chemistry is the No. 1 thing in order to be successful. If you have a great team but don’t have great team chemistry, you won’t reach your full potential.

“One thing everyone can control is being a great teammate.”

Juengel noted that he strives to make every player on his roster feel like a pivotal part of the team.

“My goal is always to make the last person on my bench just as important as the best player on the team,” he said. “That’s not possible with (how I divvy up) playing time, but you can do it in other ways, and that’s one thing I always strive for as a coach.”

Carlos McGee, the middle school director of athletics for Midland Public Schools, said that he “can’t say enough good things about Mark.”

“First of all, his development of kids (is special). He really gets (the importance of) developing kids and teaching them the fundamentals of the game,” McGee said. “And his passion for the game is unquestionable. He’s one of the best. He understands the game and knows how to get the best out of the athletes he’s coaching.

“He’s just a man of integrity, and he’s fair with the kids,” McGee added.

Former Dow High standout Ellie Taylor, who is now a sophomore on Northwood’s women’s basketball team and who played for Juengel at Jefferson, said that her former coach is “so deserving” of being inducted into the Midland County Sports Hall of Fame.

“I don’t think anyone deserves it more. The amount of athletes he’s impacted and developed in this area is huge. I think it’s an awesome honor,” Taylor said. “ … Mr. Juengel has a gift for teaching and explaining the game to younger girls, but he also encourages them and makes it very positive.

“His ability to do all of that makes him special,” she added. “ … When you talk to Mr. Juengel, you can sense the passion he has not only for basketball but for each individual kid. That’s the key to his success — how much he cares about each kid. And it’s genuine; you can tell.”

Beginning in 2002, Juengel coached Midland Fastbreak girls’ AAU travel teams for 13 years, winning four state championships and finishing as state runners-up three times along the way. He also coached multiple Fastbreak players who wound up becoming Miss Basketball winners or Miss Basketball runners-up in the process.

Still, Juengel’s passion has always been for school sports more so than travel sports. And that’s why he joined with some friends to originate the annual Lancer Turkey Classic youth basketball tournament in 2003 — an event which has grown from 26 teams in its first year to about 80 teams in recent years and which is off limits to travel or all-star teams.

“One of the driving forces behind the Turkey Classic, and why I’ve continued with it, is that there’s an important need for kids to have the opportunity to play with their classmates, and we’re losing that (opportunity), with so many travel sports nowadays,” he noted.

“ … I wanted to allow kids to continue to play sports with their classmates in a fun atmosphere,” he added. “One of my greatest joys in coaching was coaching my own kids and their friends, and I really appreciate the importance of school sports.”

Taylor said that Juengel has a real knack for getting the most out his players at Jefferson.

“Middle school is a time when you need to be encouraged and given confidence, and I think Mr. Juengel definitely helped me with my confidence and also held me to a high standard,” she noted. “He pushed you, but he also gave you the confidence that you needed.

“ … Mr. Juengel is super knowledgable about the game of basketball. … He’s a very smart coach,” she added. “I’m lucky. I learned a lot from him.”

McGee echoed those sentiments.

“He finds a way to make kids feel like part of the team. He truly gets it. You watch him coach AAU or middle school, and his coaching ability is outstanding. It’s unparalleled,” McGee said. “I can’t say enough about him as a man and as a coach and as an educator. He does what’s right for kids.”

As such, Juengel was the 2013 recipient of the Lloyd Osborn Award, which is given annually to a local individual who exemplifies service to youth, sports, and the community.

For his part, Juengel said that being inducted into the MCSHOF is “a huge honor,” and he gave a big nod of appreciation to his wife of 30 years, Marni.

“I’m humbled by it. It’s an honor. … It really baffles me. I’m shocked,” he said of being inducted. “ … And I couldn’t have done this for nearly 40 years without my wife. She’s been the greatest teammate I’ve ever had.

“We started dating in high school, and I started coaching Little League in high school, so she’s been with me the whole way,” he added. “She’s heard every story and been by my side and been there for me the whole way.”

Asked how long he plans on continuing coaching, Juengel, 55, said he hopes to be able to coach his young grandchildren someday.

“Right now, I’m taking it year by year,” he noted. “But as long as the fire is still there, I will keep coaching.”